Tim Howard scored for Everton, which is the United States soccer story of the day. (And it should be. That was crazy.)
Had the American keeper not booted the ball 100 yards, however, you have to think we’d spend at least a little (read: too much) time discussing Landon Donovan’s non-dive in the first half.
If you haven’t seen the play, get to your TV at 8 p.m. tonight and watch FSC’s replay. Or just know that Donovan beat Sam Ricketts, who crossed behind the Everton midfielder and looked to trip him up… expect the referee did not agree and did not blow his whistle.
We don’t want to get into the “did or didn’t Donovan dive” discussion–although we’re inclined to agree with SBNationSoccer just a bit…–because there is a bigger point.
Namely, the FSC+ announcer’s reaction to the play. He was solidly in Donovan’s camp, citing the fact that “he’s not that type of player.”
That, my friends, is a great sign of respect for an American player in the English Premier League, especially the Los Angeles Galaxy star who was accused (and accused and accused) of being soft by Europeans and Americans alike (although, I should note, never in the Cristiano Ronaldo flopping sense).
Whether or not he dove is a moot point; “he’s not that type of player” says all you need to know about how much Donovan has grown.
(If you want our take: Ricketts clipped Donovan just a bit. Maybe not enough to knock him over, but enough that a penalty could have/should have been called if Donovan went down. LD, who didn’t have the best first touch, smartly fell. On another day, he’s a hero. Classy and smart. Best of luck, Donovan.)
Nice take, Noah. I agree, “he’s not that kind of player.” Too bad for the first touch. Would have been insane for the two Americans to score in that match.
I was surprised at how much the announcers liked Donovan and had a lot of respect for him. They were really complimentary of him throughout the game.